Compromising Situations
by AJlovesKakashi
Summary: After ditching what was obviously going to be an awkward dinner, Itachi goes out. He didn't expect to ditch his annoying cousin for a dinner with a pink-haired medic and he certainly didn't count on kissing her in front of his brother. Non-mass, two-shot
1. Chapter 1

Quick little oneshot (from the recesses of my brain)!

This is to celebrate (Yay, one-person party!) the one-year anniversary of my first fic Think Twice.

And although it's late, it is still in honor of "Think Twice," my structurally unsound first.

Disclaimer: No. No. No. No. No. No.

-o0-

Compromising Situations

-o0-

They were talking again.

It wasn't abnormal for his parents to talk at the dinner table, but when his father was motioning for Mikoto to join him in the kitchen for a private chat, Itachi was positive that there was only one subject they were going to discuss. Him.

The Uchiha heir wasn't paranoid either.

He was well aware that Fugaku had been stealing glances at his eldest son throughout dinner and knew that his parents were concerned. He wasn't particularly sure about which of his infamous attributes they were most concerned about, but he would resist whatever methods they used to rectify their concern.

Sparing a look towards his confused younger brother, Itachi rose from the table and exited the Uchiha residence in the direction in the center of Konoha; Ichiraku's sounded far more appealing anyway, he reasoned.

"Hey, there, 'tachi-kun!"

Itachi shifted his gaze only slightly to include his spastic cousin, "Shisui."

Shisui's face was smug as the elder Uchiha strode toward Itachi with confidence, "Walking out on Mikoto-san's delicious dinner? How very unusual, 'tachi-kun! Date, maybe?"

"Unlikely," Itachi grunted as he continued walking, unsurprised when Shisui kept his pace.

"Then where are you going?" Shisui huffed. "If you're planning on going somewhere, I'm following if you don't tell me!" he pouted.

"Ichiraku's."

Itachi's expression was blank as he watched with mild curiosity at the way Shisui's mouth twisted into a gleeful smile. Itachi's cousin was an anomaly in the Uchiha clan; his ability to smile without the promise of torture and lack of a smirk set him apart from the smug atmosphere of the Uchiha. "Oh ho ho ho! Yes!" Shisui chuckled happily, pumping a fist into the air.

"Hn?"

Shisui composed himself and his shoulders relaxed in comfort as he sighed happily, "Sakura-chan is at Ichiraku's! I made a list of her schedule over the last month and she's always at Ichiraku's right now!"

So that's it, Itachi sighed internally. "So, Shisui, you've progressed to stalking?"

Shisui's face turned red and his bottom lip stuck out into an unhappy pout. "I'm not stalking her! I'm learning her schedule so that when we're married I know her routine!"

"Hn," Itachi grunted in apathetic disapproval.

They had reached the small ramen stand and both pushed past the blue overhanging to the inside. Itachi, thankfully, spotted the pink-haired medic nin first and abruptly pushed Shisui out of the way, sitting on the barstool next to her.

"Ittttaaaachiiii-kun!" Shisui whined quietly, settling on the barstool next to Itachi. "That's not nice~!"

Itachi cast a quick glance toward the Hokage's apprentice, noticing her look of appreciation. "Hello, Haruno-san."

"Good evening, Uchiha-san, Shisui-kun."

"Heeeeey, Sakura-chan!" Itachi's cousin called happily, trying to look around Itachi with no success. " 'tachi-kun! You need to―!"

"Shisui," Itachi commanded, "pick up your menu and order."

"Fine," he pouted in a defeated tone as he picked up his menu and began to scrutinize the choices.

Itachi looked to his own menu and quickly selected his preference, turning slightly toward Sakura to observe her light gaze. "Yes?" he whispered, successful in his attempt to avoid Shisui's attention.

"Nothing, Uchiha-san," she whispered back lightly, a smile gracing her mouth for the barest of seconds. "It just seems that Shisui is annoying you."

"Hn," he affirmed.

"So if you would rather eat without him, I could arrange for our escape," Sakura whispered in a conspiratory tone.

"Our?"

"You, as well as I, would rather eat elsewhere without him, ne?" Sakura reasoned, "Besides, if I deviate from the schedule it'll throw him off."

So she knew about Shisui's stalking habits, he internally chuckled, smirking at the prospect of his cousin's frantic expression when his beloved Sakura was out of his sight and nodded his approval. "Please."

She nodded once in confirmation and raised her voice, "Shisui-kun!"

"Yes? Is there anything you need, Sakura-chan?" he asked hopefully.

Sakura placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder, much to Shisui's confusion, and formed a handsign, "Don't stalk me!"

Shisui was left in astonishment as Itachi and Sakura disappeared in a flurry of petals.

-o0-

Itachi steadied the girl as they appeared in an unknown room. "So, you're one for theatrics," he commented.

Sakura took a slow intake of air and smiled lazily, "I find that Shisui is very receptive of theatrical rejection and abusive beatings."

Itachi nodded curtly and looked around the room, "Where are we?"

"The Hokage's records room." She chuckled at the Uchiha as his eyebrows furrowed, "It has a chakra cloaking seal, so when in doubt it's an effective place to hide," she added, "particularly when it's Shisui."

Itachi moved to sit on the lone desk in the center of the small room, avoiding several stacked books littered throughout the room. He watched as she lightly dusted herself off and adjusted her shorts into place.

She moved toward the door and he sent her a questioning look, to which she responded as she slipped into the hallway, "I'll be right back; I'm getting us food."

He reclined backward and let his back touch the rough wood of the elderly desk and stared up at the ceiling. He hadn't been planning to eat dinner with Sakura when he'd left the house; hell, he'd only spoken a few times with the girl when Sasuke happened to bring his teammates over.

He wasn't sure, but he'd heard that she was fearsomely strong and a proficient medic who had recently reached the title of Jonin, much to his younger brother's chagrin. Sasuke had insisted that Sakura wasn't deserving of the title, but Itachi had learned over years through the grapevine that no one under appreciated Sakura more than her own team.

"Uchiha-san?" the door creaked open slightly, "You here?"

"Yes," he called back, rising from his resting position.

"Oh! For a second, I thought you'd left!" she laughed nervously as she moved to stand near the desk. "It's not nearly as good as Ichiraku's, but I brought us sandwiches and soda. Probably not what you were expecting when you left the house, huh?"

"Not really," he sighed as he reached for the bag in her hand, unfazed by the skin on skin contact. "I wasn't particularly expecting to leave the house either."

"Ah, awkward Uchiha family moment?"

He shot her a curious look, seeking elaboration only to find that she had taken a place on the desk next to him and was happily biting into the sandwich. "Here's your drink," she said after swallowing.

He took the can from her and reluctantly began to eat the sandwich. "It's horrible," he whispered unhappily.

"It's hospital food. Sorry, it's all I could get hold of without attracting any notice." Sakura lightly touched his shoulder, "The soda should help to wash it down."

He popped the can open quickly and took a drink, nearly choking on the bitter taste of ginger ale. "...ugh..."

"I'm so sorry! It really was all I could find!" Sakura sighed, "I swear I'll make it up to you by buying you lunch sometime. You free tomorrow?"

"Yes," Itachi answered, praying that the lunch wouldn't be nearly as horrible as the hospital food she'd procured for the meal they were sharing.

"Alright, it's a plan." She stuck her small hand toward him and he shook it with his own larger hand.

-o0-

Shisui searched throughout the village with a firm grimace and eyes glazed in tears. "Sakura-chan!" he called throughout the nearly deserted streets.

"Shisui?"

"Sakura-chan?" he called again hopefully.

Sasuke appeared before him with a disapproving glare, "No, idiot."

"Ah, Sasu-chan!" he cried, grabbing onto Sasuke's shoulders in desperation, "You must help me!"

Sasuke looked bored as he pried Shisui's hands from his person and observed his cousin's desperation with disinterest, "I do not have to help you if I find your predicament stupid."

"It's not stupid at all, Sasu-chan! I'm searching for Saku- Wait!" Shisui clutched his cousin. "You see, Itachi and I went to Ichiraku's and they disappeared together!"

That caught Sasuke's interest, "Together?"

"Yes! She yelled, 'Don't stalk me!' and placed a hand on 'tachi-kun's shoulder and disappeared! It's dreadful! Horrible! Horrific!" Shisui cried.

Sasuke smacked Shisui with undue force to silence him and searched for Sakura with his chakra. "There you are, Sakura," Sasuke smirked with glee, disappearing from Shisui's view toward the hospital.

"Wait! Wait! What about me!" Shisui cried, searching around with desperation.

-o0-

"So, yes, to answer your question, I've been on an Anbu mission before," Sakura sighed. "I'm surprised you don't remember, it was your team after all."

Itachi pondered that for a second and responded quietly, "I apologize for not remembering."

"No problem! I get it, the masks and code names aren't really good for introductions." She took a gulp of soda.

"I suppose not." They sat in silence as both sipped from the bitter soda, both looking indiscriminately into space.

Itachi subtly broke the silence, "What time is it?"

Sakura looked down at the watch on her wrist and slipped off the desk, "Time to sleep if I want to be up for my shift." Itachi watched as she walked by him in silence, his intention of following her from the room shattered as she slipped on a stack of books.

Itachi couldn't think, unusual for him, and he moved instead, reaching to catch her from an inevitable fall. He held her up and sat her on the desk, standing before her to check for damage. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she laughed uneasily. "I just-"

"Your ankle twisted."

"Like I said, I'm perfectly fine!" Sakura tried to escape from Itachi's form, but found him relentless. "Uchiha-san, I am fine! Let me down!" she demanded.

Itachi trapped her, placing his arms on either side of her form before him, "You twisted your ankle."

"And I said I'm fine!" she crossed her arms defiantly, her face inches from his own.

"Well, well, well..." a calm, collected voice interjected. "Nii-san and Sakura-chan are awfully cozy!"

Both Itachi and Sakura snapped angry glares in the intruder's direction. "What the fuck do you want, Sasuke?" Sakura bit out.

"Blackmail! And now I have it!" Sasuke looked like a child who'd been given a flame-thrower. "When should I tell Mom and Dad to start planning a wedding?"

"Sasuke, your teammate has twisted her ankle and you don't have the common decency to be concerned?" Itachi yawned, bored with his brother's antics.

"She's a medic," Sasuke shrugged as he added under his breath arrogantly, "And that's all she's good for."

Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously and she wordlessly grabbed Itachi's shirt. Itachi averted his gaze to the pink-haired medic in confusion only to feel her lips slant against his own. His thoughts further scattered as she pulled him closer and he could only manage the act of reciprocating.

Itachi had never been kissed (he'd sent any girls running who might have tried with a death glare) and couldn't understand the intentions of his own body when he'd pressed closer to her, running the tip of his tongue across her lower lip and relishing the feel of her mouth opening for him. Sasuke's presence was a mere blip on Itachi's radar when Sakura's own tongue met his shyly and Itachi could only infer (through the haze) that it was her first kiss as well.

Sakura's hands clutched at his black shirt and Itachi's hands, that had previously trapped her into the space, circled around her subconsciously. They gasped for air and delved back into the depths of their kiss, neither registering Sasuke's clearing of his throat.

"Ahem!" Sasuke tried, irked. "Bastard! That's still my teammate!"

Still they ignored him and Sasuke fought the rising panic he felt as one of Itachi's hands rested itself at the hem of her shirt and slipped under. Sasuke knew it was his fault for provoking her into the revenge kiss, but he had to stop it. Now.

"Sakura-chan!" he called tentatively. "If you stop now, I'll allow you to spar with me tomorrow!"

Itachi broke away for a moment to direct a glare at his brother, "I'm afraid Sakura and I have already made plans tomorrow, Sasuke. In fact, you should be at home or with your other teammate..."

"Naruto," Sakura supplied breathlessly.

"Naruto," he finished. "I'll be sure to get her home."

Sasuke felt more panic slip through his usual mask, there was nothing he could do. "Will you be home soon?" he asked, petrified.

"Hn," he affirmed in displeasure as Sasuke slipped from the room.

"How'd he find us?" Sakura gasped as Itachi kissed her jawline mercilessly.

Itachi moved lower and was too preoccupied with his task to give his opinion. "I'll...ask...tomorrow," he said, finally pulling away and running a finger along the bothered skin. "Lunch."

"Meet me in the lobby and someone will get me," Sakura sighed. "I'll be-"

"I'll be paying."

Sakura stared at him in confusion, "What?"

His tongue shamelessly traced her bottom lip and he waited for her gasp. "I'll pay..." he said again between ragged breaths.

Sakura didn't register his actions as she was pulled into his hold and whisked away from the small records room to her apartment. He silently accepted her key while still supporting her weight as he led her to the couch.

"Can you heal yourself?" Itachi asked hesitantly.

"Of course. That's why I was saying that I was fine. Because I was." Sakura slowly directed her chakra to her palm and pressed it toward her aching appendage. "There!"

Itachi watched as she placed her foot carefully on the red carpet of her living area and was ready to catch her if she fell again, but found he was not needed as she turned to him confidently. "Hn."

"Are we back to monosyllables?"

"Can you walk on it?" he inquired.

Sakura took a first wobbly step and a second steady step. "I'm fine," she repeated, "Thank you, Uchiha-san, for helping me back to my apartment."

"Itachi."

"Excuse me?" she asked as she sent him a perplexed expression.

"Call me Itachi."

Sakura looked slightly taken aback, but then again, after what had happened in the records room, she supposed she shouldn't feel too surprised at his request for a first-name basis. "Alright, Itachi," she spoke confidently, "then you can call me Sakura."

"Good evening, Sakura, I shall see you tomorrow."

And with that, Itachi departed through the door rather than his usual cloud of smoke, leaving a bemused Sakura in his wake.

"Fuck! My ankle!" she cried, plopping herself onto the couch. She hadn't wanted to lie about her ankle, but she hated that weak feeling that overcame her while he was concerning himself over her sorry injury. "Goddamn!"

Suddenly, the disappeared Itachi was no longer missing from the room and was standing before her once again, a disapproving smirk barely touching his expressionless face. "Sakura."

Sakura was sure that a kunai had pierced her skull, because there was no way in hell Itachi had left her apartment only to confirm that she was lying. "I-Itachi?"

"You lied," he stated.

"Well, I-"

"I know enough of medical ninjutsu to understand that something simple like a twisted ankle can not be healed." Itachi sat beside her awkwardly, pulling a wrap from his weapon pouch.

"Well, I-"

"Do not take me for a fool," he commanded as he stared straight into her eyes.

"I would never," Sakura swore quietly, adverting his gaze.

Itachi gave a short nod and reached down to her leg, bringing her ankle within his grasp. He wrapped it for her, ignoring the awkward silence the pair had fallen into. "I will now assist you to bed."

"I-Itachi?" Sakura ventured. "I'll have to change first, so uh-"

Itachi said nothing, lifting her from the couch and supporting her with a firm arm around her stiff back as he helped her limp to the bedroom only ten feet away. He sat her on the bed and looked at her expectantly. "What do you require me to gather?"

Sakura fought the blush she was sure would overtake her shocked face. Uchiha Itachi...going through her drawers...Ino was gonna love this one, she thought sarcastically. "The bottom drawer has pajamas. All I need is a shirt though! My shorts should be fine!" she answered, her intense feelings of discomfort barely seeping through her upbeat tone.

"Hn," he responded as he crouched in front of the dark wood dresser. His hand surrounded the knob and began to pull the drawer open.

"Oh wait! I put a trap on that dresser!" Sakura cried out as Itachi easily countered the five senbon that flew at him from the corners of the room. He turned with a questioning glance as she explained that she often "lost" clothing to very persistent fanboys.

Itachi could completely empathize, having been stalked for the entirety of his life.

"I shall be leaving now, but I will send word to Tsunade-sama to grant you the day off in light of your injury. Farewell, Sakura."

"It's not that serious!" she yelled after his retreating form as he slid through her window.

-o0-

When Sasuke entered the Uchiha household, he was instantly confronted by his parents. Sasuke allowed himself to wonder why they were waiting in the entryway before he reigned himself back in to his real problem: Itachi.

Itachi being interested in his teammate was a problem. For many reasons, Sasuke didn't approve of them being involved in any way and he knew that Naruto and Kakashi would agree to a hasty sabotage plan.

After confirming with himself that he would bring the idea up with the other males of Team Seven, Sasuke made the conscious decision to actually listen to the endless demands streaming from his mother's mouth as she asked him question upon question about his outing and about his brother's whereabouts.

"...and have you seen Itachi?"

Sasuke caught the end of the question and fought the urge to let escape the answer that would undoubtedly make his parents very, very happy. His father, to Sasuke's extreme misfortune, managed to detect his desperate attempt to look for an escape route and moved to block his only exit. "Sasuke, where is your brother?" Fugaku demanded in his usual flat monotone.

"I, uh, may have seen him..." Sasuke stalled.

"Tell us."

Sasuke couldn't hold. Of course, he was afraid of Itachi and what he would do in retaliation for Sasuke's telling their parents of the Sakura incident...but with both Uchiha parents staring at him expectantly after literally backing him into a corner, he had no choice but to give up the information in an attempt to preserve himself. He caved.

Mikoto Uchiha's face lit up happily as to be expected of the woman who already considered Sakura her surrogate daughter. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Fugaku, I'm so happy!" she cried, throwing her arms around her stiff husband.

"Mikoto, Itachi may still back out. We need to take steps...to make it permanent." Fugaku was already formulating a plan and had no comment when Sasuke fled past him to go to his room.

Even more excited that her husband approved of the match, Mikoto smiled brightly. "There's a certain blonde who would always love to help."

"Hn."

"Let's go see her! Now!" she suggested, grabbing hold of her husband's arm, "She's still in her office at this time of night!"

"Hn," he affirmed, not resisting as his excited wife pulled him through the door into the cool night air of Konoha.

-o0-

"Ne, Tsunade-chan…" the hyperactive Uchiha matriarch called as she and her husband entered the office without knocking or permission.

"What the hell do you two want from me this late?" the disgruntled voice of the Hokage answered, clearly slurred and irritated.

"You sound so angry, Tsunade-chan! And here we've come to tell you some amazing news!" Mikoto jabbed, approaching the desk with her husband in tow.

"What the hell is it?" Tsunade snapped. "Spit it out already! If you can't tell, I'm a little irritated; Shizune hid my alcohol again."

"It's about our son," Fugaku began. "He seems to have taken an interest in your apprentice."

Mikoto pouted as she whispered her discontent. "You're no fun, Fugaku."

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow and seemed to ponder the statement. On one hand, their information could be taken as bad news by Sakura's unofficial guardian. Or, more optimistically, it could mean Tsunade had been presented the solution to a situation she'd been considering for the better part of a year. "Has Sasuke finally shown interest?"

"Sasuke?" Fugaku puzzled.

"No, no, no, Tsunade-chan! Itachi has! Sasuke witnessed them being super kissy-kissy in the medical records room!" Mikoto smiled, making overjoyed faces to rival Shisui's. "He even said that Itachi said that they have plans tomorrow!"

Tsunade cocked her head in thought, "I'd never considered Itachi-kun before…but it might just work. What are your opinions of the match?"

"Both my wife and I approve," Fugaku said quickly, cutting off his excited wife from her enthusiastic approval.

Tsunade spent an additional moment in thought before venturing to present her proposition, "Okay. Since we all agree that this match is suitable for all intents and purposes, the question rests with you: do you mind if Itachi and Sakura complete a low(-er) level mission together?"

"If it means my son will marry after twenty five years of questionable sexual preference, of course, Hokage-sama," he responded with an air of unexpected lightheartedness (well, as far as Uchiha go).

"Was that sarcasm, Uchiha-san?" Tsunade smirked. "Well, I'll do my part in this match making, but you two really should be getting home."

"Thanks, Tsunade-chan!" Mikoto smiled calmly, relieved by Tsunade's acceptance. "We'll do our best on our end too!"

"Just don't smother the boy by asking questions― that would make a nin like Itachi-kun instantly suspicious, and it could scare him off. In fact…" Tsunade smirked knowingly, "if you lead him to believe the match _isn't_ wanted, he would more than likely be more inclined to pursue my apprentice."

"Reverse psychology might work on Sasuke, but Itachi has always been focused on the needs of the clan," Fugaku held his head high.

"True enough, Uchiha-san, but Itachi-kun is still a young man and kids his age value one thing above all else," she paused for effect, "their individual freedom of choice. That's why an arranged marriage would never work for neither Sakura nor Itachi-kun; they're both very headstrong."

"Tch," Fugaku scoffed, exiting the office.

Mikoto turned as she followed her husband and gave a small wave, "I'll talk to him later! Thank you."

"Bye-Bye."

-o0-

When Sakura rose the next day, she instantly knew that she had been correct about her injury. It wasn't serious and the pain was gone. Slowly, she tested her foot by rising from bed slowly and after gaining confidence, she took a few steps in the direction of her bedroom door.

She didn't realize she'd been intercepted until a low voice spoke out disapprovingly, "Sakura."

"I'm fine," she muttered out into the shoulder of the man before her. "What're you doing here?"

Itachi unexpectedly lifted her into his arms and set her back on the bed, obviously intending for her to move as little as possible, "Checking on my patient."

Sakura's eye twitched and her lips pursed unhappily, "Just who is the doctor here?"

Itachi didn't respond and instead began to inspect her ankle, causing a blush to rise in the pink-haired medic as he held her calf and foot gently. "You are fine."

Her teeth grated together, "Of course I am! It wasn't serious to begin with! Now I have a shift at the hospital to get to-!"

"No."

"No," she repeated angrily. "No?"

"Tsunade-sama has agreed to give you the day off because we have a mission tomorrow," Itachi responded lengthily as he set her leg down on the comforter. "Now that you are recovered, we shall go to lunch."

Sakura sighed unhappily as she stood and walked to her dresser, quickly grabbing clothes from the drawers and retreating toward the adjoining bathroom. "I'll be out in a little bit."

Itachi, faced with an expanse of thirty minutes to an hour of downtime, laid back against Sakura's queen sized bed, thinking of the strange encounter he'd had with his parents. For some reason, that for once he was completely in the dark about, his father had demanded that he abstain from relationships to focus only on his missions.

That was unusual.

Often, both his mother and father had tried to arrange several marriages and they had often expressed their discontent with his lack of action. Itachi was…confused at their sudden change in expectations. Of course he had no problem with the lack of pressure that their change had brought, but it irked him to say the least. They'd given him no indication other than the strange incident with his father that morning and Itachi could attribute it to one factor: Sasuke had seen Sakura kiss him.

Through his reasoning, Itachi could only infer that Sasuke had spilled the information to his parents and due to his father's attitude, his parents didn't approve of her. How? How could they not approve?

The thoughts plagued his brain; not only was Sakura strong, but she was also a respectable medic with political ties and thus was an ideal choice for his parents' approval. She was outwardly attractive and inwardly was quite intelligent, a quality Itachi valued (having been set up with several girls with half a brain to share amongst all of them).

Yet, his parents didn't approve?

-o0-

Mikoto smirked happily as she cut the vegetables before her. The plan was a success and the knowledge was such to make the woman unbelievably happy. Soon, she would have a daughter and the prospect of being able to do her hair, dress her, feed her, love her-

"Mikoto, she's an adult. You won't be able to play dress up with her," Fugaku sighed from the living room.

"But I'll give her the knowledge she'll need to dress up for Itachi!" Mikoto called back. "I have tons of outfits she can use to keep things…interesting."

"There's something very wrong with the idea of a mother trying to make things 'interesting' for her son and his wife," Fugaku shuddered as he entered the kitchen. "Is my sandwich done?" (Yes, I did just go there. XDD )

Sasuke entered behind his father and pouted slightly, "Poor Sakura."

"Poor Sakura? She'll be so loved," Mikoto smiled.

"Itachi gets what he wants," Fugaku nodded, taking his sandwich from his wife as she held it out to him.

"What Itachi wants is a girl that is temperamental and freakishly violent!" Sasuke chanted with a roll of his eyes. "And she's my teammate!" he bit out angrily.

"So?" his parents retaliated before turning again to their own devices.

-o0-

When Sakura exited her bathroom, fully clothed and thoroughly clean, she wasn't expecting a rather stiff Itachi ushering her through her apartment to the street outside. She wasn't expecting his arm to circle her shoulders and lead her around. But she definitely wasn't expecting his face to be screwed up in thought, his eyebrows drawn into a perplexed expression.

It was unlike anything she'd ever seen cross the man's face (not that she'd spent a lot of time around him outside of the last two days…) and he looked rather irritated with whatever problem was currently confronting him. His fierce expression was even scaring off most of the fangirls!

Itachi hurried her through a doorway and into a restaurant, pulling her into a small booth before thoughtlessly taking the seat beside her. He peered at the menu, unaware that Sakura was blatantly observing his odd state.

"What is wrong with you, Itachi?" she asked suddenly, sighing as she picked up her own menu.

Itachi tensed noticeably and spared her a glance, "There was an altercation between my father and myself that seems to have affected me more than it should."

Accepting this as an answer, Sakura huffed, "Clans and politics, I swear! I wish I didn't know so much about how they work…but under Tsunade-shishou, I had to study every clan in Konoha's customs and traditions. Some are just plain weird…"

"The Inuzuka's customs, I assume?"

"No, theirs are pretty straightforward and relaxed," she shivered, "but the Aburame's…let's just say that theirs are far more extreme than the Hyuuga and Uchiha clans' combined."

Itachi tried not to imagine the horrors that a bug-wielding clan could inflict on their enemies and the measures it took for the clan to maintain the secrecy of their full abilities. "Hn."

"Monosyllables again?" Itachi's companion sighed, her pink hair shaking with her head. "Both you and Sasuke really need to learn to avoid that particular sound."

"We inherited it from our father," he explained, motioning for the waitress. "Chichi-ue is not fond of unnecessary words."

"May I take your order…Uchiha-sama?" the waitress smiled brightly at the Uchiha heir, but did not fully extend the manners to Sakura.

Sakura, not bothered at all by the waitress' disregard, spoke first, "I would like biscuits and gravy, please, and for the drink…a Sprite would be lovely."

The young waitress frowned for a moment before writing down Sakura's order and turning to Itachi, "And for you, Uchiha-sama?"

Sakura paid little attention to his order and instead turned her attention to the young girl standing by their booth. She was overeager to please the uncaring Uchiha and clearly did not care for Sakura's presence next to the object of her affections. The girl would throw uncertain glances toward Sakura and enamored eyes to the apathetic face of Itachi. Sakura nearly smiled when she concluded that the girl had forgotten to breathe as she stared at his moving lips as he recited his order.

"I-Is that all?" the waitress stuttered.

"Yes," Itachi answered shortly, clearly conveying his wish for her to leave.

The girl took a step back and then another as she nodded her head slowly, "I-I'll be back with your drinks," before she scurried away unhappily.

Sakura let out a laugh she had been saving, "That poor girl!"

Itachi cast his companion a light glare as she continued to chuckle, "She should do her job."

Sakura stopped laughing and turned to the man beside her, "I thought she was doing pretty well actually, but if your order is wrong it's because she forgot how to breathe!"

"Tch…girls are irritating."

"Now you sound like Sasuke," Sakura pursed her lips, "If anyone is irritating, it's the two of you."

"You've lumped me into the same category as my brother," he said slowly with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Sakura nodded, "You've both very alike."

"Are we really?" Itachi was not amused, Sakura gathered; his lips were closed into a deep frown and his eyebrows were scrunched together in irritation.

"Sometimes."

He turned to face her fully and stared directly into her eyes, "Have you kissed my brother too?"

Sakura's eyes went wide and her eyebrows shot up as her mouth gaped in surprise, "N-No!"

"Do you want to?"

"No!" Her expression twisted into something resembling anger, "I would never kiss that sexist bastard!"

"So I am different than my brother?"

"Very! I was mistaken!" Sakura conceded angrily, "Only you would trap me through the use of awkward questions, Itachi."

"My brother is not clever enough to use such methods."

"Sneaky bastard," Sakura muttered as the waitress returned with their drinks and stumbled away. She gently closed her mouth around the straw and ignored him as she drank from her Sprite.

Itachi's eyes were instantly drawn to the straw and he was suddenly struck with an epiphany: He knew what he wanted from this…acquaintance, his father be damned. Itachi wanted to pursue a relationship, and as uncharacteristic of him as it already was, a relationship with his brother's teammate.

His hand shot out suddenly and moved the drink away from her. She was glaring at him in annoyance, but his other hand shot out as quickly as the first to rest itself on her shoulder and he tugged her closer to his person. "Sakura…"

To say the medic was surprised was an understatement- she was bewildered! "Itachi? What the hell are you doing?"

Itachi leaned forward, hunched over to be eye-level with the shorter medic, and whispered, "Cementing the difference between Sasuke and myself."

And he kissed her. In public.

-o0-

-o0-

-o0-

-o0-

Alright, this is part one of a two-shot!

How is it so far?

It moves a little quickly, but hey! It's sixteen pages and that's more than I usually write per chapter.

Like I said, this is an anniversary fic to commemorate my first story, albiet it's a little late.

I like to think I've improved over the last year. Although I don't think I'm nearly a wacky as I used to be, I hope I'm still funny enough…oh God! Am I funny? Am I trying too hard? AH!

Please end my confusion by dropping me a review, if you would~

Await the second installment with patience! I just started school on Wednesday and Senior year is supposed to be busy…so we'll see about the timeline.

I love the many readers of the world…sometimes,

AJlovesKakashi

P.S. Please read the story I posted yesterday, "Last Night," if you don't mind. It doesn't have any reviews yet, but it's three times as funny and descriptive as this one (and shorter). And it's a oneshot! What have you got to lose? I'd be very appreciative~


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, here's part two~! With a little GaaSaku coming for you~!

After this is done, I have another story that I'm starting.

It's KakaSaku with SasuNaru as a plot motivator. And there's a little NaruHina, I suppose.

The first chapter for that is written but I thought I'd get this out of the way first.

So let's go!

Disclaimer: Hahaha…it's funny that you people still believe that I own Naruto.

-o0-

Compromising Situations

Chapter 2

-o0-

She slapped him. Hard.

And before the confusion her hand had smacked into him wore off, she had escaped the confines of the booth and escaped from the building, leaving the Uchiha heir in the middle of a restaurant filled with surprised and staring citizens.

At first, Itachi was angry that she'd rejected him so publically (his parents would undoubtedly hear about the breakfast incident in a matter of hours through Konoha's quick-moving rumor mill) but then he paused and let out a laugh. It was all rather _fun_ and he wasn't exactly sure why.

Either way, he supposed, Sakura wouldn't be running from him for long.

They had a mission. Today. Together.

-o0-

Sakura approached the Godaime's office in a huff, desperately intent on getting the mission repealed in some way though whatever means.

How dare he kiss her like that in public?

**Granted**, Inner Sakura smirked slyly, **who kissed him yesterday in front of his own little brother?**

"That is irrelevant!" she snarled aloud, despite the strange look her Shishou was now leveling at her.

"All I said, Sakura, was that you and Itachi have a mission today," the Godaime chuckled. "Is she getting to you again?"

Sakura froze and stared at her teacher in horror, "I…uh…um…"

"And no, you will not have your mission amended in any way."

Sakura's face reddened and she slammed a hand down upon the Hokage's desk, "But, Shishou―!"

"No, Sakura!" Tsunade yelled back sternly, partially standing from her chair, "You will go on this mission and you will not argue about it! Uchiha," she turned to address the closed door in a commanding tone, "enter."

The door opened and the Uchiha heir passed through the door with a quiet smirk and a satisfied attitude, leaving Sakura to glare at him in anger as he slowly approached her with a cool, interested air.

"Sakura," he greeted, "I missed you at breakfast."

She colored furiously and opened her mouth to retort, only to be silenced by her mentor's booming voice, "Sakura!"

Sakura's face instantly paled and she kept her voice even, "Whatever."

Tsunade looked from either ninja with inner disapproval― had the Uchiha parents been wrong in their intelligence? Itachi and Sakura certainly didn't appear to be a pair that was attracted to the other and physically, Tsunade had to acknowledge that they were extremely separate in abilities and specialties. But, she inwardly shrugged, why not give it a chance?

"Would you two stop your squabbling?" the Godaime ordered through grit teeth as she rubbed furiously at her temple, "I'm not in the mood to listen to the both of you right now!"

"The scroll then, Hokage-sama?" Itachi inquired, holding his hand out to receive the object in question.

"Demanding brat," she muttered ruefully. "Listen here, you can open this scroll when you get to Suna, but the Kazekage has a second scroll with the details. Get it?"

"Hai, Tsunade-shishou," Sakura affirmed with a subtle trace of reluctance.

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Itachi smirked. "We shall depart immediately."

-o0-

Itachi seemed unhurried as they left the village but the second the two were a decent distance from the gates, Itachi increased his pace ten-fold and Sakura was left to chase him through the green canopies of the thick forest surrounding Konoha. He seemed to be enjoying himself thoroughly, to her displeasure, and he radiated smug bastard-ness.

She grit her teeth angrily and channeled chakra to her aching legs, only managing to get within an eight foot radius of the Uchiha heir. "Itachi!" she huffed, "stop being such an ass!"

The elder man chuckled in barely concealed glee as he suddenly decreased his speed, turned around, and allowed her to run straight into him. "I must pay you back, Sakura, for this morning."

She stood dumbstruck and missed her window for escape as his arms encased her in an unwanted embrace. "Wha―?"

"Sakura," Itachi pinned her with his intense gaze, "remember, you initiated this."

"In a moment of fury!" she glared, "That doesn't mean I want to like, marry you or something! Let go!"

His eyes narrowed and Sakura halted her attempts for escape, "So, you deny any attraction between us."

She resumed struggling and he let her go quickly, turning around and continuing their course, leaving a confused Sakura in his wake. She stared after him with a mixture of irritation and something akin to shock― Uchiha Itachi was _sulking_.

"Itachi!" she called, running after him as his speed reached maximum potential, "Wait, Uchiha! What's your damn problem!"

He glared at the use of his surname and merely kept his head angled away from the pursuing female, obnoxiously infuriating the volatile Sakura. "I have nothing further to discuss with you and I believe that I gave you permission to address me by my name."

With one burst of chakra to her legs and a well-timed teleportation jutsu, Sakura appeared in front of the pissy Uchiha and held her palm flat to his chest, effectively halting him in place.

"Seriously?" she rolled her eyes, "Aren't Uchiha supposed to be proud assholes?"

Itachi's head snapped to her direction and he glared at her angrily, "Don't insult my family."

"You know what," her voice lowered dangerously, "I refuse to call you by name until I think you've stopped being a bitch! The only times I've ever seen an _Uchiha_ pout was when we ditched Shisui and the one time I stole Sasuke's precious tomatoes! Do you really want to be on the same level as those two?"

Itachi eyed her with annoyance, "I am nothing like those idiots and am most certainly not a bitch."

"Then _prove_ it!" Sakura stuck her chin out and her eyes conveyed her challenge. "Prove that you're better than Shisui and Sasuke!"

She didn't have any reaction time as he lowered himself to kiss her and even less time to pull away as he dragged her into his embrace in a needy kiss. "Sakura…"

"Get off!" she slurred against his lips haughtily as she attempted to pull away, "That wasn't what I meant!"

Itachi stubbornly refused to release her and instead held her tightly against himself, "Sakura, why do you resist me?"

"We're on a mission!" she hissed.

"Is that it?"

"And it's way too soon for you to be this damn…" she searched for the word, "clingy!"

"You were the one to kiss me first," he insisted smoothly.

Sakura rolled her eyes dramatically and yelled at him again, "To provoke your dumbass brother!"

Itachi seemed irritated by the statement and he released her in frustration as he mumbled, "Why is everything about him?"

Sakura rubbed her thumb across the prominent crease on her forehead, trying to soothe away the furious headache threatening to develop. "Look, Uchiha, I don't know what's gotten into you since yesterday, but―."

"It doesn't matter," he interrupted quickly, "We should just proceed with the mission."

Sakura shook her head as he began to run again and kept her comments to herself as she followed his breakneck pace obediently. The best thing for the both of them would be to finish the mission quickly and dissociate upon arrival in Konoha. But, Sakura amended, she would undoubtedly miss his company.

**Just stop lying to yourself,** Inner smirked. **He's paying so much attention to you and playing hard to get will only work so long before he gives up.**

"Shut your mouth and leave me alone," she grumbled unhappily. "It's none of your fucking business."

**Whatever,** Inner shrugged, **it's not my problem anyway if you don't get Itachi the smex-god for yourself. No biggie.**

"This is going to be one hell of a mission," she sighed to herself irritably.

-o0-

"Temari!" Sakura called happily, "It's been forever since I've seen you!"

The blonde Jonin looked over her shoulder and she changed directions to walk to her medic friend with a sly smile, "Oi, what're you doing here? Did you decide to take that offer Gaara made you?"

Itachi watched with mild curiosity as Sakura's face blushed into a maddening red and she stuttered her response, "N-No! U-Uchiha-san and I are here for a mission! I already told Gaara that it'd be too difficult to move from Konoha, especially considering my position, and that I simply cannot consent to―!"

"Calm down, Sakura!" Temari chastised, "No one's blaming you, except maybe Gaara…"

Sakura went rather pale and Itachi was burned with the excruciating desire to know exactly what the Kazekage's proposition had been and why it had required Sakura to relocate to Suna. "Oh, really?"

"Don't worry though, he's gotten over it," Temari reassured her with a laugh, "I think."

"Where is Kazekage-sama?" Itachi interjected with impatience written across his curiosity ridden expression.

Temari finally looked over her medic friend's companion with disinterest, "Uchiha."

Sakura seemed to shift under the weight of the barely visible tension that seemed to develop between Temari and the raven-haired Itachi. "E-eh, that's right! We're supposed to get a scroll from Gaara, so…"

"Are you anything like your asshole brother?" the blonde asked bluntly.

Itachi seemed taken aback by the question and looked to Sakura for an explanation before returning his gaze to the eldest of the Sand siblings, "No."

Temari sighed in relief and slapped Itachi across the back with a laugh, "Good! Jeez, if I had to deal with a stuck-up prick like Sasuke again, I might've broken the treaty with Konoha!"

Sakura noticed Itachi show slight alarm at Temari's statement, but the pink-haired girl laughed too in order to calm his misunderstandings, "Temari, that isn't nice to say!"

"Sorry, Sakura, it's true!" the blonde began to move from the gate, leading the Konoha ninja from the Suna gate, "I mean, Naruto is annoying and all, but he means well by it…Sasuke just grates on my nerves."

"Yes, well," Sakura began regretfully, "Naruto and I have tried to break him of his less than desirable people skills, but he's pretty resistant to everything we've done."

Itachi spoke up quietly from his place at Sakura's side, "I may have quite possibly dropped him when he was an infant."

Both women looked to Itachi with amusement before breaking into rioting laughter and Sakura gasped out, "And that's probably why he still hates you!"

Itachi nodded, a subtle smile developing upon his face, "It is exactly why Sasuke harbors ill-intent towards me."

The trio still walked the streets of Suna towards the largest building in the direct center of the village until they reached the entrance where Temari cast them a hopeful glance and bid them good luck with a smile as Sakura led Itachi into the brown stone building.

The two continued down the hall quietly, as distinguished ninja should, and finally, Sakura stopped before a large door. She spared a look to her companion and upon finding him staring intently at her nervous countenance, she took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in," a cool voice commanded as Sakura pushed the door open and Itachi followed her into the room, both nodding toward the man sitting behind a desk.

"Kazekage-sama," Itachi greeted.

Sakura seemed a great deal uncomfortable and Itachi found himself all the more curious as Gaara's stare was directed toward the pink-haired medic. She faltered for a moment, but she greeted him in an awkward tone, "Gaara-sama."

"Sakura," the Kazekage frowned, "I instructed you the last time we met to address me by my name only."

"Gaara."

Itachi narrowed his eyes as Gaara's face seemed to contort with satisfaction at Sakura's address and the Uchiha sought to take control of the situation, "Kazekage-sama, I believe we are to receive a mission scroll from you."

"Tsunade informed me," Gaara tore his gaze reluctantly from Sakura and settled it upon the older male. "However, I believe that it is now dusk, so I entreat you to remain with my siblings and I for the night."

Sakura remained silent and Itachi found himself answering in his ANBU Captian tone, "Unfortunately, we've lost a great deal of time already and we must proceed with the mission in a timely manner. We must decline, Kazekage-sama."

Gaara seemed displeased by the suggestion and the redhead cocked his head to the side slowly, evaluating the older male who seemed too close to the medic, before repeating himself, "I entreat you to stay."

"Gaara," Sakura tried, "we really must go."

The Kazekage's head snapped towards her and he adopted a scowl, "I believe I'm the one with your mission scroll, am I not?"

The female-medic was taken-aback with surprise, "Would you really hold our mission hostage?"

"Of course," his scowl deepened, "your answer was not favorable last time."

Sakura seemed irritated and one of her hands flew to tangle in the pink tresses of her hair, "So what, you're going to hold the scroll until I change my mind?"

"Unless you have a valid reason for your rejection," Gaara's eyes filled with a challenge, "then yes."

-o0-

Sakura flew from the office, storming away as she dug her heels into the stone floor with Itachi close behind. Her fists clenched at her side and her mouth was set with a fierce scowl as she quickly took a set of stairs three at a time.

Soon, they were on the roof and Sakura screamed loudly, "Fuck!"

Itachi watched with conflict. Sakura had not appreciated his attentions previously, but he longed to ask what Gaara was demanding and to comfort her if it was within his ability. "Sakura."

She was pacing back and forth muttering profanities and cursing the Kazekage with vehemence and it was clear his utterance of her name had not registered in her turmoil enthralled mind. "That damn, red-headed asshole bastard who needs a fucking reality check and…"

"Sakura," he said more authoritatively, "I would like you to explain why the Kazekage is willing to obstruct our mission."

The medic froze and stared at him with shock and reluctance etched into the rise of her eyebrows and the downward curve of her small mouth. She regressed into herself, clearly not willing to trust him. "I can't…no one knows. Not even Naruto and Sasuke."

It certainly had to be a big deal, Itachi reasoned, if her beloved Team 7 had no knowledge of whatever Gaara had propositioned Sakura for. "I will now pull rank, Haruno," he commanded again, "Why is our mission being hindered?"

She sighed in resignation and sat down on the warm stone of the rooftop and motioned for him to join her. "Are you aware that I had a three month mission to Suna?"

Itachi tilted his head in response, "Sasuke was particularly whiny while you were gone."

Sakura's lips quirked and she continued, "I was teaching the Sunagakure medics updated techniques to improve their efficiency in the field and I stayed with Temari, Kankuro…and Gaara.

"The first month was fine and Temari and I became pretty decent friends. Kankuro was nice to me from the beginning of course, because I saved his life a few years back. But, Gaara…he went out of his way to avoid me and often spent nights in his office simply because I was in their house, but I found out why later.

"The second month brought changes…Temari and I could barely be separated and I'd already beaten Kankuro a few times for being _too_ friendly…and even Gaara had started being a little more personable, though the expression of alarm on Temari's face should have tipped me off. He proposed to marry me by the end of the month.

"Yeah, yeah, Uchiha, don't look at me like that!" Sakura frowned, "I told Shishou immediately and she told me to decline absolutely, but Gaara's reasons were sort of understandable. He said he couldn't tolerate anyone else and he'd never marry anyone but me and also knowing the Elders' persistence in advocating he marry, it seemed like a satisfactory political match."

"You would have left everyone behind," Itachi stated dryly, "for politics."

Sakura shot him a glare, "Obviously I didn't. I couldn't even handle the three months without Team 7, I couldn't bare to imagine a life without them!"

"And now? When he's holding our mission hostage, what do you plan to do?"

"He wants a reason even though I told him that Suna was just too far from my family and friends…" Sakura thought out loud, "so I can't imagine what could possibly convince him that I still don't want to become the 'Lady Kazekage.' "

Itachi cast her a glance, "I have a theory, but we should go to dinner. It's already sundown."

"And we'll be staying with Gaara tonight…" Sakura shivered.

-o0-

The small restaurant was relatively empty and the Konoha pair was allowed to choose seats in the very corner of the building, where the subject of their conversation was less likely to be heard by any of the Sunagakure populace. Sakura was hunched forward, facing her companion with an unhappy expression.

"So, what's your theory?"

Itachi sipped his drink and waited for a lone employee to pass the table, "Kazekage-sama doesn't wish for internal excuses, such as loneliness or homesickness, but rather an external excuse."

"Speak Japanese, damn you," Sakura glared. "What kind of external excuse?"

"Namely, he wishes to know if you are already pursuing a relationship and that is why you declined his offer of marriage."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "There are definitely better ways to figure that shit out without putting our careers on the line."

Itachi set his drink down, "Given his history, I don't believe the Kazekage is unaware of your being attached or not being attached…he's testing you and believes there is no way for you decline."

"So he's backing me into a corner like an animal."

"Hypothetically, yes."

Sakura groaned, "So how do we fix this?"

Itachi smirked, "What do you mean '_we_'?"

"You bastard!" she accused, pointing a finger toward the Uchiha heir, "You're a part of this mission too!"

"While you may be right, Sakura," Itachi smirked, "it is your personal mess that is obstructing our mission and I am not liable for any setbacks to the mission."

The medic cast a suspicious eye towards him, "You're seeing this as an opportunity."

"For what?"

"I'm not sure," she announced, "but I'm positive that I need your help to convince Gaara that I can't marry him and you're banking on the fact that I'll cave to your demands under pressure."

"Maybe."

"Absolutely! That is absolutely what you're thinking!"

"And if it were?" he looked at her through his lashes expectantly, "What would you give me for my help?"

"You know," she said ruefully, "I liked you better when you ignored me and spoke in monosyllables."

"Do not avoid my question."

"I don't know!"

"Can I help you? Have you ordered yet?" an unknown voice cut in awkwardly.

"We'll have the special," Itachi answered shortly, sending the civilian employee scurrying away.

"You didn't need to scare her away! It's not her fault you're being an unreasonable jerk," she huffed. "I don't know what it is you want, so just lay out your deal and I'll negotiate the terms with you."

The Uchiha looked rather self-satisfied as he smirked almost _happily_, "Of course, Sakura, we'll strike a deal."

-o0-

If she weren't so uncomfortable with Itachi's arm slung about her shoulders, Sakura might've conceded that Suna was beautiful at night. When she had been stationed in the desert city as a medic, she'd often enjoyed the silent and cool nights by herself and sometimes with Temari. Even Gaara had been enjoyable company on her walks, but Itachi's smirk was enough to poison the night for the unenthusiastic medic and it was clear she was thinking of other ways to go about their pseudo-mission.

"Sakura," Itachi said calmly, "you've struck the deal with me already. There's no other way."

"Talk about fucking deals with the fucking devil," she murmured angrily, her face scrunching into a grimace of non-physical pain.

Itachi cast her an irritated glance, "If you keep making that face, it'll be impossible to deceive the Kazekage."

"Your terms were ridiculous!" she huffed, "Sharing a room? Like, seriously? What the fuck?"

"You wish to fool the Kazekage, yes? A couple is expected to share a room," he explained in that irritatingly content voice.

"We are not a couple."

Itachi simply led her down the empty sand covered street to the Kazekage's Mansion and at the entrance, warned her to maintain the act, and pushed open the door…to find chaos.

"Kankuro!" Temari screamed in a shrill voice, "I swear to God! If you say one thing, I mean it, one thing, I'll fucking kill you!"

"What's your goddamn problem, Temari?" the middle Sand sibling yelled back, "Gaara's being an asshole about this whole damn―!"

The Konoha pair could hear choking noises follow a wail from the older blonde female and Sakura shot Itachi a concerned glance, "Should we…?"

"Temari," a cold, easily recognizable voice interjected, "let him go."

"But he's being impossible!"

Gaara paused for a moment and cleared his throat, "Sakura, _Uchiha_, please don't hesitate on account of a family quarrel."

It was clear in the tone of his voice as he addressed Itachi that his particular feelings towards anyone with Uchiha blood were not of the kindest mold. Itachi was dirt to Gaara and even Sakura felt ruffled by his clear disregard for Itachi's achievements and talents. Even if Itachi got on her nerves, he was still a Konoha shinobi and all ninja of Konoha were comrades, including the annoying ones.

Itachi led her forward and Sakura was forced into her role of the devoted girlfriend and her arm slid around his waist in casual intimacy and tightened in what appeared to be a loving embrace. They felt the weight of the Sand siblings' combined stare and Sakura subtly looked to Gaara's slightly irritated expression.

"Kazekage-sama, we would like to be shown to our room," Itachi said with all the dignity garnered by his noble clan. "After our travels these last few days, we are both rather exhausted."

" '_Our_?' " Gaara grit out. "I hardly believe it necessary for you to share a room."

"Yeah!" Temari chimed, "Sakura should stay with me! We're both girls, so it's the easiest solution!"

The redheaded leader of Sunagakure shot his sister a glare. "Fine," he conceded with irritation, "I will show you to your room."

Itachi kept his arm tucked around Sakura in a firm grip with the barest trace of a satisfied smirk hinting at the slightly upturned ends of his mouth, effectively irritating the bothered Gaara further. "Sakura," he murmured quietly, watching his opponent from the corner of his dark eyes, "you know what I plan to do to you, right?"

"I-I…" she blushed at his heated tone, one that was completely authentic, as she stuttered, "Of course…Itachi."

The older male was not expecting the rush of that still novel uttering of his name through her lips. The last time she'd spoken his name had been the day she'd slapped him and they'd argued…it was unbelievably enthralling to hear call him by name and to see the dirty scowl Gaara shot the pair. He leaned closer to her ear and quickly shot out the tip of his tongue to caress the pale shell before he whispered, his hot breath sending an unwanted shiver down her melting spine, "You know exactly what I want with you, don't you, Sakura?"

"Your room is here!" Gaara spat out, indicating he'd heard Itachi's shockingly dirty speech, as he threw open a door. "You'll be staying here for the night. Leave in the morning."

They watched as the Kazekage stormed through the hall in his usual calmly aggravated gait and the second he rounded the corner, Itachi turned his attention to the retreating female.

"Sakura?" he pursued her into the room and shut the door behind him with a light bang. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she snapped as she threw down her bag and shot him a glare, "He doesn't believe us at all, does he?"

Itachi nodded solemnly in response, "We will have to work diligently on our act."

Sakura threw herself down on the bed in frustration before sitting up with an awkward frown, "Itachi…"

There it was again, the rush of affection at the sound of his name. How could his parents disapprove of her? Why would they even want to deny him of her? A surge of defiance swelled within him and Itachi, for once in his life, made the decision to deliberately defy his father on something that he'd always taken a negative stance on. How many years had he dodged the marriage issue? It was insane that because of one girl he'd be willing to throw away the little freedom he had struggled to maintain, and yet Itachi had already made his decision.

"Itachi! Are you paying attention?" she called irritably, "I asked you a question!"

"Hn?"

She sighed and pushed herself from the bed to stand before him with her arms crossed and a suspicious glare leveled at him, "What the hell was with that thing in the hallway?"

"Be more specific," he chuckled.

"That whispering and the _licking_ and…" she glowered darkly, averting her eyes in embarrassment to the floor.

"Did you not wish to give the Kazekage the impression that we are lovers?"

Sakura's face reddened and she quickly moved past him to the bathroom and, leaving the door open, stood before the bathroom counter and the mirror. She bent forward slowly to rest her forehead on the cool, sand-colored marble top, her hands trapped between her body and the surface on which she rested.

"Of course I did, but―," she began, "What the **hell** are you doing?"

A weight was firmly settled behind her and Sakura found herself trapped between Itachi's body and the counter. His hands were sliding from her waistline to the tops of her thighs and Sakura unconsciously shivered when they stopped. She could feel his breath tickle at her neck as he began to speak:

"I still wish to court you, Sakura," he whispered into her ear, "then we wouldn't have to lie to the Kazekage."

Sakura struggled with her words as he shifted lightly, causing her cheeks to burn. She finally regained the ability to speak just as Itachi had decided silence her.

She had turned her head to the side, her mouth had opened and instantaneously Itachi covered it with his own desperately, effectively cutting off the words of rejection he had no doubt was threatening to spill from the seductively cute lips he was now kissing.

To his surprise, Sakura didn't resist. Her green eyes drooped half-shut and he took advantage completely, letting himself enjoy the one thing he wanted for himself. For once in his life, it wasn't about the clan or his duty to the village but instead, it was all for him. And her, he supposed.

Even when he respectfully pulled his mouth away after a time, Sakura trailed after him and re-initiated the kiss. Itachi could finally understand why Shisui had taken to the pink-haired medic as ridiculous as it had seemed only a few short days before.

Eventually, the two broke apart and faced each other while Sakura busied herself staring down at her feet. It was obvious to Itachi why she was so concerned with the few moments of intimacy they had just shared. She was frightened of how quickly things had progressed and he could understand and even share the sentiment.

In less than a week they had progressed from being acquaintances to sharing kisses on a counter in a bathroom in the Kazekage mansion. It truly was frightening how things had gotten out of control and Itachi could feel the spiral pull at him continuously.

"Itachi," she whispered, "what are we even doing?"

"Hm?"

She jumped up to sit on the counter, her thumb rubbing at her creased brow. "This is just too fast to be real. There's no way this can go anywhere if we aren't even friends."

Itachi moved forward and placed his hands on either side of her on the counter before resting his forehead against her shoulder, "Then let's be friends."

She seemed to grimace slightly as she let out a small laugh, "I never knew you were so optimistic, Itachi. How do you even know that we can be friends?"

"I don't."

"I take back what I said about you being optimistic."

-o0-

The night was only slightly awkward at first, but sharing a bed with Itachi wasn't nearly as exasperating as she'd thought it would be. He stayed to his own side and Sakura was able to sleep surprisingly well. Until she woke up, that is.

Apparently, she and Itachi had some sort of inner synergy that probably had a lot more to do with Inner Sakura's interference than anything because when she was suddenly roused to consciousness in the middle of the night, she was securely wrapped in Itachi's embrace.

The shock of feeling her body so close to his stunned her into inaction and she could only let herself be held tightly, every curve of hers pressed against Itachi's well-toned frame. The male was sleeping soundly and Sakura instantly found herself jealous that he could remain so calm with his larger body so completely wrapped around her smaller form.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?" she huffed, barely audible.

**You don't move quickly enough, Sakura-baka**, her Inner laughed within her head. So I may have taken steps on my own.

"You clearly don't understand what being friends means," Sakura sighed quietly, "Moving slow is the point, that way it's not just some cheap semblance of a relationship, but the real thing."

**Well, excuse me!** her Inner humphed arrogantly, **I decide to help you with all the kindness of our heart and all you can do is be unappreciative? Fine! Call me when you decide that your "let's-just-be-friends-that-way-we're-happy-forever" plan fails epicly!**

"Fuck you too, Inner."

Sighing irritably, Sakura made only a few slight struggles against the tight grip of Itachi before just giving up (her groggy mind affecting her judgement) and letting herself retreat back into the sanctity of sleep where she didn't have to deal with any Uchiha or her meddling inner conscious.

She closed her eyes at let the tendrils of sleep pull her into a semi-dazed awareness. Suddenly, she was tugged awake as the door to the room quietly opened with only a slight creak. Itachi seemed to sense the disturbance as well and was waking quickly, but Sakura wrapped her arms about him to curb his initial reaction to attack the potential threat.

"Who's there?" she called out tentatively.

"It's Temari."

The blonde Suna nin made herself known, sitting down on a chair next to the bed and gazing at the intertwined bodies of her friend and the Uchiha heir. She blinked twice and shrugged, letting her head fall back against the chair.

"Temari?"

Snapping her head to smirk at the medic, Temari shrugged, "Wanted to see what you two were up to. Guess it's serious business, huh?"

Sakura's face colored, "We're still getting to know one another."

Subaku no Temari raised an eyebrow and silently chucked, "Yeah, sure. Right."

"No really."

"Gaara was really hoping you'd changed your mind," the blonde sighed, "but it can't be helped now I suppose. Damn…I was hoping I'd get a sister and I already liked you!"

Sakura turned to look at Itachi, who was politely pretending to sleep even as one of his hands decided to rub her back surreptitiously. She had to admit that the sensation was rather soothing, even as her conversation with Temari turned less than pleasant.

"I just don't feel that way about Gaara. Of course, he was a wonderful friend while I was here, but Konoha is my home and I wouldn't leave it for anything."

"Even if Suna would treat your skills twenty, no thirty, times better than the Leaf does?" Temari's smile strained. "You have to admit that Konoha doesn't treat you with the reverence you deserve. You have kami-like medical skills and the Leaf treat you like any other Jonin."

"Temari, I am any other Jonin. I serve my village and work to improve it in my own way. I don't mind it at all."

"Even when they compare to your teammates like you're a hindrance?"

That one stung, Sakura conceded as she now clung to Itachi tightly. "Sasuke and Naruto are Sasuke and Naruto. I don't care if I'm seen as weak because I've spent my entire life getting over that word. The boys know how strong I am and they know what kind of hell I can bring to the table, so I'm not concerned."

"I see."

With that, Temari departed quietly, shutting the door behind her with another small creak and leaving behind the two Konoha ninja. Sakura turned her head into Itachi's embrace, letting herself be held without complaint.

"We shall depart in the morning."

Sakura smiled, "My pride isn't hurt."

"It is still rather unpleasant to spend more time here than necessary."

"True," she chuckled, "I just want this mission over with at this point."

Itachi took a deep breath and his eyes closed, "Sleep, Sakura."

-o0-

True to his word, Gaara handed over the scroll with an irritated grimace that wasn't really all that different from his usual expression. After that, the mission was rather easy to complete due to its simplicity and Sakura and Itachi were quickly on their way back to Konoha when they were attacked near the border of Fire country.

They were merely petty thieves and the two handled them efficiently and quickly. However, Sakura accidentally rolled her ankle when she carelessly stepped into a gopher hole. The entire field was filled with them so she shouldn't have been surprised that her chances were high for injury, but just the thought that the Uchiha heir was now wrapping her ankle when she was the official medic was enough to jilt her nerves.

"Itachi, it's fine."

"I believe that was what you said the last time you injured your ankle in my presence, Sakura."

Her face colored as she realized that she had forgotten that she had injured her ankle twice now with Itachi and she was instantly ruffled, "It'll be fine in a little bit!"

He had finished wrapping it in the gauze she'd had in her medical pack and supported her to her feet. He moved quickly and picked her up before she could protest and he began to run.

"Itachi, you do _not_ need to carry me!"

Itachi pointedly ignored her, running through the trees with all the speed of an ANBU captain. "Sakura, please just relax."

"How can I? You're babying me!"

Once again, her protests were ignored and Itachi merely looked down at her skeptically, "For the sake of the mission, it is important that we continue on regardless of your injury."

"Whatever."

After a short silence, Itachi looked down at her once again, "Sakura, would you care to go to lunch when we return to Konoha?"

"This won't be like that breakfast, right?"

"No."

"Then sure."

Despite herself, Sakura couldn't help a small smile. Maybe they could learn to be friends after all?

-o0-

Tsunade scrutinized the two for any changes upon their return and she found plenty. Firstly, Sakura didn't appear to want to put a chakra infused fist through his skull. And secondly, they were standing rather closely in a manner that implied intimacy between them.

_At least_, Tsunade thought to herself, _they were civil and calm_. If they weren't already an exclusive item, they were well on their way to the point that the Uchiha Matriarch and she wanted.

Surely, the Godaime figured, it was only a matter of time…

-o0-

-o0-

-o0-

-o0-

Hey, it's something, ne?

Sorry I've been gone for so long…real life sucks.

Between applications, financial aid crap, family drama and two Animes by the names of "Soul Eater" and "Fairy Tail," I've been busy.

In fact, there's a deadline due in THREE DAYS for something that can only be done at school. And I'm home sick.

Mendokusai, ne?

Anyway~

Review.

Your overlord commands you.

AJlovesKakashi


End file.
